Harley-Davidson to bring electric motorbike to market within 18 months

Harley-Davidson to bring electric motorbike to market within 18 months

Rhiannon Williams

Published:4:12 pmFebruary 1, 2018

Harley-Davidson has announced plans to produce an all-electric motorbike within the next 18 months.

The company first began exploring electric motorcyles in 2010 with the LiveWire bike, which was capable of driving around 50 miles on a single charge and speeeds of 0-60mph within four seconds.

Prototypes were produced four years later, but it never went on full sale and the project was presumed defunct.

A biker dressed as Santa Claus drives along with around 1,500 other Harley Davidson motorbike enthusiasts during a parade of the Prague Harley Days in September 2017 (Photo: Getty)Matt Levatich, president and chief executive of Harley-Davidson confirmed the resurrection of the LiveWire in an earnings call to analysts, adding the company was working towards a sale date of within 18 months, according to Bloomberg.

Chief Financial Officer John Olin said Harley-Davidson will spend between $25m (£17.5m) and $50m per year over the next few years on electric motorbike technology, working towards becoming the world leader in the electrification of motorbikes.

The iconic brand will compete with several established electric bike manufacturers, including Zero, formerly Electricross, and Bayerische Motoren Werke AG.

Between 30 and 70 per cent of car sales in 12 years’ time should be ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVs), also known as electric, alongside 40 per cent of vans, the CCC said.

Under the Climate Change Act, the government set a target to significantly reduce UK greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent compared to levels recorded in 1990. The CCC suggested higher reductions were required to meet the target in October 2016.

One scenario to reduce emissions by around 90 per cent in comparison to 1990 would be for all cars and vans to be fully electrified by 2050, alongside 80 per cent of space heating, the report said. The electric cars coming soon

“In order to meet the extra demand, UK electricity generation would need to be double that of today’s total supply by 2050 combined with a very low carbon-intensity,” it added.